“The macabre British designer, Alexander McQueen, dedicated his dramatic presentation at the Paris pret-a-porter season last night to a distant relative, Elizabeth How, one of the Salem witches. The models emerged like members of a coven, walking on a pentagram painted on a bed of coals, beneath an inverted pyramid on which were projected images of flames, naked women and locusts. The collection was one of the designer’s sexiest and appeared to have been conceived with a little help from the magic arts. It featured burnished metal bodysuits, extreme tailoring in denim and fur, carapace-like capes in plated leather and “sorceress” gowns in chiffon and velvet, emblazoned with gleaming metallic flames or in see-through stretch tulle, embroidered with enchanting symbols.”

“McQueen, the greatest theatric in fashion, didn’t just focus on witches, but ruminated visually on the occult, paganism and Egyptian devils. The only surprise is that the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano has not since penned an editorial condemning the show.”

This is certainly a far cry from ordering some Renaissance gear off the Internet, slapping on a pair of horns, and hitting the local Witches’ ball. Drama! Majesty! Metal chest-plates! Could this be the start of a new “Pagan chic” within the glamorous world of fashion? It would certainly add a new twist on the debate over how modern Pagans should dress.